The Incas: History of Andean Empire The Incas: History of Andean Empire By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | November 19, 2013 05:47pm ET MORE Villagers in Cuzco, Peru, dressed in colorful shawls, or chompas, mingle with city-folk and tourists during a festival.. Credit: Jesse Lewis The Inca Empire was a vast empire that flourished in the Andean region of South America from the early 15th century A.D. up until its conquest by the Spanish in the 1530s. Even after the conquest, Inca leaders continued to resist the Spaniards up until 1572 when its last city, Vilcabamba, was captured. The Incas built their empire without the wheel, powerful draft animals, iron working, currency or even what we would consider to be a writing system. One of the Inca civilization's most famous surviving archaeological sites is Machu Picchu , which was built as a retreat for an Incan emperor. The Incas called their empire Tawantinsuyu, the “Land of the Four Corners,” and its official language was Quechua.

The empire was divided up into four “suyu,” which intersected at the capital, Cuzco. These suyu in turn were divided into provinces. By the time of the Spanish conquest, much of the Inca Empire was made up of numerous non-Inca groups. The empire reached its peak after the conquests of Emperor Huayna Capac, who reigned from 1493 until around 1527, when he apparently died of smallpox. At its peak, the empire extended from “the border of Ecuador and Colombia down to about 50 miles [80 kilometers] south of modern Santiago, Chile,” said Terence D'Altroy of Columbia University, in a 2007 PBS Nova interview . “In terms of square miles, we're probably talking something like 300,000 square miles [more than 775,000 square km],” he said, adding that its population was as high as 12 million people. To support this empire, a system of roads stretched for almost 25,000 miles (roughly 40,000 km), about three times the diameter of the Earth.

As the Spanish conquered the Inca Empire, they were impressed by what they saw. “Inca cities were as large as those of Europe, but more orderly and by all accounts much cleaner and more pleasant places in which to live,” writes Gordon McEwan of Wagner College, in his book “The Incas: New Perspectives” (ABC-CLIO, 2006), also noting that the road and aqueduct systems the Spanish encountered in the Andes were superior to those in Europe. Inca origins The Inca Empire originated at the city of Cuzco in what is today southern Peru. It appears to have started out as a small local state until it rapidly expanded into a vast empire during the 15th century A.D. The origins of the Inca are murky, but McEwan points that, in pre-Inca times, Cuzco was located at a nexus point between two earlier empires, one called the Wari and another based at the city of Tiwanaku . This central location gave the Inca a number of advantages when they were able to expand, one of the most important being the availability of infrastructure, which these earlier empires had already created.

“The hydraulic and highway systems of the earlier empires would have provided the basis for rapid expansion of the early Inca state,” McEwan writes. Inca oral history, recorded by the Spanish, suggests that the expansion of the Inca began in earnest during the reign of the emperor Pachacuti, who reigned 1438-1471. Oral traditions say that he became emperor after he halted an invasion of Cuzco that was being carried out by a rival group called the Chancas. Subsequently, he worked to expand the territory the Inca controlled, extending their influence beyond the Cuzco region. D'Altroy notes that the Inca tried to get their rivals to surrender peacefully and only used military conquest as a last resort. They “worked very hard in diplomacy, negotiating relationships with neighbors or with people who were targets for incorporation into their expanding territory, and they tried to work out amicable relationships through gift exchanges, marital exchanges, or political alliances. Failing that, they would threaten those people with military conquest, and that having failed, they would actually undertake military conquest,” he said in the PBS interview.

While the Inca did not develop what we would consider a formal system of writing, they did use recording devices, the best known being quipu, a cord with strings suspended from it. While modern-day scholars are unable to read them, it is known that they would have been used for creating records such as a census. Cuzco The Inca capital, Cuzco, was ordered rebuilt by Pachacuti, who allegedly had the city completely razed so that it could be rebuilt in the shape of a puma. “The animal was represented in profile, with the residential blocks of the city forming its body … the great fortress or temple complex on the hill above Cuzco representing its head, and the confluence of the Tullu and Saphi rivers representing its tail,” McEwan writes, paraphrasing the account recorded by the Spanish chronicler Juan de Betanzos. “Between the fore and hind legs of the puma were located the two great plazas of Cuzco, where the highways to the four imperial quarters of the empire, called suyus, converged.” McEwan adds that commoners were not allowed to live in the city and had to reside in the outlying settlements.

Perhaps the greatest religious sanctuary in Cuzco was a sun temple called “Coricancha.” The Spanish chronicler Bernabé Cobo wrote (in translation), “This temple was called Coricancha, which means ‘house of gold,’ because of the incomparable wealth of this metal which was embedded in the temple’s chapels and wall, its ceilings and altars.” (From “Ancient Cuzco” by Brian Bauer, University of Texas Press, 2004) The presence of gold led the Spanish to plunder it thoroughly, but Cobo did record that it was dedicated to the Sun god Inti with other Inca deities also being honored in the temple. After the Spanish conquered Cuzco, they built a new city in its place, one that survives to present day. Inca Culture - History of the Incas Inca Culture Vacation Rental Share The Inca Empire was easily one of the most impressive civilizations to ever rise in the Americas. Beginning as a tribe roughly around the year 1200 AD, the Inca culture would flourish in the Andes Mountains , extending its reach throughout the mountains of Peru, and into the present day countries of Ecuador , Bolivia and Chile.

The 1532 Battle of Cajamarca essentially marked an end to the short-lived Inca Empire, but the impact they made in that small window of time continues to be one of Peru’s most enduring attractions. From their ruins, to the Peru museums that house their artifacts, visitors can gain an appreciation of how advanced the Inca were. Their modern-day descendants, many of whom speak the Inca Quechua language and live much like their forefathers, are among the most interesting native peoples in the world, if not the friendliest. Their handcrafted wares make for some of the best Peru souvenirs, and their music inspires a most magical Andes Mountains soundtrack. The history of the Inca begins in myth with the arrival of the first Inca king, Manco Capac, who was borne from the sun god, Inti, on an island in Lake Titicaca . Manco Capac would found the Inca Civilization in Cusco , and the city would remain the all important capital of this great civilization. 11 Inca rulers would follow Manco Capac, among them Pachacutec, who is generally credited for founding the actual Inca Empire.

Pachacutec began to vastly expand the Inca Empire in and around the year 1438. By this point, the original Inca tribe had grown into pre-Columbian America’s largest empire. In Cusco, you can see ruins from the palaces that were built for the sixth and eight Inca rulers, and remnants from the reigning period of Pachacutec include the Qoricancha in Cusco, the Ollantaytambo and Pisac fortresses, and Machu Picchu . These ruins are all found in and around the Sacred Valley , which was an area of the Andes Mountains that the Inca especially revered, due in part to its beauty and its climate. In the early 1500"s, the Inca Empire had come to cover most of civilized South America, but when the Inca ruler, Huayna Capac, died before naming a successor, his sons, Huascar and Atahualpa commenced a civil war of sorts. Also during this time, smallpox had reached the empire from Central America, and those who brought it, The Spanish Conquistadors, weren’t far behind.

Francisco Pizarro, a most significant name when it comes to the history of the Incas, first reached Inca territory in the year 1526, and upon his return to Spain in 1529, he received permission from the crown to return and conquer the Inca regions. By 1532 AD, Atahualpa had succeeded in effectively conquering his brother, and his base was the northern Peru highlands city of Cajamarca. The 1532 Battle of Cajamarca, which saw Pizarro and his men overwhelm the Inca forces, is one of the most notable moments in South American history, let alone the history of the Inca. Atahualpa, who refused to convert to Christianity, was imprisoned in Cajamarca. After the Spanish seized his gold and silver, he was killed. The Inca Empire was essentially over, and Atahualpa’s brother, Manco Inca Yupanqui, made a failed attempt to re-seize Cusco in 1536. Manco Inca did manage to successfully hold off the Spanish after retreating to the Ollantaytambo fortress.

His 1536 stand marks the most successful Inca defense against Spanish forces. Peru Map The Inca culture permeates Peru to the present day, and it is impossible to visit Peru and not notice how attached the country is to its Inca roots. The Inca ruins of Peru are perhaps most responsible for attracting curious visitors, most of whom come to see majestic Machu Picchu. The Sacred Valley, with the towns of Pisac and Ollantaytambo, is a place rich with Inca ruins, and the Sun Temple of Machu Picchu displays their reverence for the sun. The sun was the basis for the Inca religion, and among the top Peru festivals , Inti Raymi, is dedicated to the sun god, Inti. Inca ruins aren’t only found in and around Cusco however. In Cajamarca, you can visit Inca ruins, and in nearby Tucume Peru, you can join one of the tours that visits the Inca pyramids. According to some, the Tucume Inca pyramids comprise the most interesting excavation site in the Americas, though that designation is surely up for debate.

While brushing up on the history of the Incas is a good idea before getting to Peru, you will have plenty of chances to learn all about it when you get there. Chances are you will be just as fascinated with Inca culture as are the proud Peruvians. Compare Travel Sites and Save! The Incas A HISTORY OF THE INCAS AND THEIR DAILY LIFE By Tim Lambert The Inca Empire The Incas ruled a great empire in South America - but only for a short time. At its peak the Incas Empire lasted less than a century before it was destroyed by the Spaniards. In about 1300 the Incas founded their capital city of Cuzco. They were only a small tribe but they came to rule a vast empire including most of Peru and parts of Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and northwest Argentina. The expansion began in 1438 under their ruler Pachakuti and continued under his successors. Inca Life Inca Society At the top of Inca society was the emperor, the Sapa Inca. (His title means unique Inca). The Incas believed their ruler was descended from the sun god and he was treated with great respect.

Visitors had to remove their footwear if they approached the Sapa Inca and they had to carry a burden on their back to show their respect for him. When he traveled the Sapa Inca was carried in a litter. Below the Sapa Inca were the nobles. Below them were a class of men called curacas. They were not necessarily Incas. When the Incas conquered a people they took the leader's sons and taught them to rule the Inca way. They then became curacas. At the bottom of Inca society were the craftsmen and farmers. Inca craftsmen made objects of gold, silver and copper. Stonemasons cut stone bricks for building using stone hammers and wet sand for polishing. Inca stone bricks fitted so closely they did not need mortar to hold them together. Every aspect of Inca life was highly organised. Each person's life was divided into stages. At each stage they were expected to different tasks. Naturally adults in their prime were expected to do the hardest work. Children and old people did the easiest tasks. All the people were part of extended families called Ayllus. Each one was ruled by a man called a curaca.

In theory the Sapa Inca owned all the land and wealth in the empire. The Sapa Inca gave farmers land to grow food. In return they had to do some work for him. The Sapa Inca reserved some land for himself and some was set aside to support the temples and priests. The Inca farmers had to pay a kind of tax by working of the Sapa Inca's and temples land. Sometimes they also had to work on projects like building roads and bridges. Inca Government The Inca empire was like a pyramid with the Sapa Inca at the top. The empire was divided into 4 regions ruled by men called opas. Below them there were more layers of government. To help rule their vast empire the Incas created an efficient network of roads. The Incas also made rope suspension bridges. As well as the roads the Incas had messengers called chasquis. Messages were carried by relay. Groups of messengers lived in houses by main roads and at all times two of them kept lookout. If they saw another messenger approaching one of them would run to meet him. The two messengers would run together for a while and the message was passed on from one man to the other.

Using this relay system messages could be sent over long distances very quickly. Inca messengers could take messages 240 kilometers in one day. Furthermore although they never invented writing the Incas kept records with a device called a quipu. It was a cord with strings of different thickness and colors hanging from it. Knots were tied at different positions in the strings. The color and thickness of the strings and the positions of the knots all meant something. The Incas did not have prisons. Instead for serious crimes such as murder, stealing and blasphemy offenders were executed by being pushed off a cliff. Less serious crimes were punished by cutting off the hands or blinding. Inca Religion The Incas were polytheists (they worshiped several different gods). The most important god was Inti, the sun god. The Incas also worshiped Quilla the moon goddess, wife of the sun. They also worshiped Illapa god of thunder, who controlled the rain. The Incas had a host of priests and priestesses to serve their gods in temples throughout the empire. Priests were also surgeons who performed simple operations. Patients chewed coca leaves to dull the pain.

Priests bit the heads of a type of ant and used the jaws as clips to close wounds. The Incas sometimes practiced human sacrifice but it was rare. Inca Warfare Incas knew of the bow and arrow but they relied mainly on the sling and stone. It is a surprisingly accurate and deadly weapon. Incas did not have swords but in hand to hand fighting they used wooden clubs tipped with stone or bronze. Many Incas wore a costume of quilted cotton, which gave some protection against the wooden and stone weapons of other South American peoples. Some Inca soldiers also protected their backs and chests with plates of wood or metal. They also carried wooden shields. The Inca army was supplied by a network of storehouses. They also had stone fortresses on mountains. When the Incas killed their enemies they sometimes covered their skulls with gold and used them as drinking cups. They also made dead enemies teeth into necklaces and even made drums from human skin. A history of weapons Inca Food In the lowlands the staple food was maize. In the highlands it was potatoes. Incas also ate peppers, tomatoes and avocados. They also ate peanuts and a grain called quinoa.

Llamas and alpacas were kept for wool and for carrying loads but they sometimes provided meat. Incas also ate guinea pigs. They also fished and ate birds. However for most Incas meat was a luxury. Incas drank a fermented drink called chicha. Ordinary Incas drank from bowls carved from gourds. Rich Incas drank from pottery vessels or even ones made from gold or silver. Poor people ate off dishes placed on the ground. Inca nobles ate off a cloth on the ground. There were no tables. Inca farmers did not have plows pulled by animals. Instead their main tools were digging sticks, clod breakers and hoes. In hilly regions Inca farmers terraced the land. They also irrigated crops. Inca farmers also used bird droppings called guano as fertilizer. A history of food Inca Houses Inca houses were very simple. They often consisted of just one room (although some houses did have an upper story with a wooden floor). Inca homes did not have furniture. People sat and slept on reed mats or animal skins. Doors and windows were trapezium shaped. (A trapezium is a four-sided shape with only two parallel sides).

Roofs were thatched and there were no chimneys. Rich Incas, of course, lived in much grander homes. Inca palaces sometimes had sunken stone baths. A history of houses Inca Clothes Incas made clothes from wool or (in warmer areas) from cotton. Ordinary people wore coarse alpaca wool but nobles wore fine vicuna wool. Inca men wore loincloths and tunics. Inca nobles wore gold ear plugs. Inca women wore a long dress with a cloak on top fastened with a brooch. Inca Children Inca children were treated harshly to toughen them. They were severely punished if they misbehaved. At about the age of 10 the most beautiful girls were selected to be chosen women or Aqllakuna. They were taken from their families and sent to a house of chosen women or Aqllawasi. They were taught the Inca religion and skills like cooking and weaving. When they were about 14 some of the girls became priestesses or they married important Incas or even the Sapa Inca himself (the Sapa Inca often had hundreds of wives). Girls left behind learned skills like cooking and weaving from their mothers.

When they reached their teens they were old enough to marry. Boys learned farming, fishing and other trades. Noble boys had tutors called Amataus who trained them to rule. When they reached the age of 14 boys were given a loincloth which symbolized the fact that they were now young men. The Conquistadors and the Incas The Inca Empire was destroyed by Spanish conquistadors (conquerors). Even before the Conquistadors arrived smallpox began to spread among the Incas. They had no resistance to this European disease and many of them died. So the Inca Empire was weakened even before Pizarro came. Worse the Inca Empire was afflicted by a civil war. When the emperor Huayna died in 1527 he did not name a successor. There were two claimants to the throne. Huayana had many wives. His 'chief' wife or coya had a son called Huascar. However he had an older brother called Atahualpa. His mother was one of Huyana's 'ordinary' wives. The two half-brothers Huascar and Atahualpa fought a civil war.

Atahualpa eventually won and he wreaked a terrible revenge on his enemies. However when the Spaniards came Atahualpa's surviving enemies were willing to join them against the emperor. In 1532 a small force of Spaniards, 100 infantry and 67 cavalrymen arrived on the coast. They were led by Francisco Pizarro (c.1475-1541). At first the Spaniards inspected the country then they entered a town called Cajamarca. Atahualpa was staying in a camp nearby. Atahualpa was not afraid of the small group of strangers. After all he had thousands of soldiers at his command. However Pizarro planned to kidnap him. Atahualpa and several thousand bodyguards entered a square in the town. There were only a few entrances to the square, which were easily blocked. Furthermore the Spaniards hid guns in the buildings around the square. A Spanish friar (friars were like monks) approached the Sapa Inca and offered him a bible. Atahualpa had never seen a book before and he threw it onto the ground.

Angrily the friar called on the Spaniards to avenge what he thought was an insult to God. The Spanish fired cannons and muskets and the cavalry charged. (Incas had never seen horses before and the sight of a man charging on a horse must have been terrifying). The Spaniards were also protected by steel armor and they carried steel swords. (Steel was a metal unknown to the Incas). The bodyguards had little chance against the Spaniards and thousands were slaughtered in the square. Atahualpa himself was taken prisoner. The Inca Empire was rather like a pyramid with the Sapa Inca at the top. Orders flowed from him. Capturing him was rather like cutting the head from a body. Without him the Incas did not know what to do. Eventually Atahualpa offered to fill a large room with gold and a small room with silver twice over if the Spaniards would let him go. In the meantime Spanish reinforcements arrived. However when the gold and silver was collected Pizarro had no intention of letting the Sapa Inca go. He claimed that Atahualpa was plotting against him and the Sapa Inca was tried for treason and sentenced to death. At first he was sentenced to be burned.

Atahualpa was horrified because he believed his spirit would be destroyed if his body was burned and he could not enter the afterlife. Instead he agreed to be baptized a Christian and he was strangled with a rope. The Spaniards then ruled through a puppet, which they made the Sapa Inca. However the puppet Sapa Inca soon became disenchanted and he fled from Cuzco. In 1536 he raised armies to besiege both Cuzco and Lima (which the Spaniards founded in 1535). However both sieges failed. The Incas besieged Cuzco again in 1537 but again failed. However Inca resistance did not end. The puppet Sapa Inca fled to the east of Cuzco with his supporters and ruled a small Inca state called Vicambamba. It was finally conquered by the Spaniards in 1572. Wikijunior:Ancient Civilizations/Incas - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Wikijunior:Ancient Civilizations/Incas This is the latest reviewed version , checked on 15 November 2016.

(+) Quality: minimal Jump to: navigation , search Inca territory. The Inca lived in the Andes Mountains in South America. Their range stretched from southern Chile through Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador and into southern Colombia. The Inca were very warlike and often attacked their neighbors to take their land. In this way, the Inca Empire, which started out small, grew to be very large. In fact, the Inca Empire was the largest empire ever in South America, and one of the largest in the world. Contents 7 What is left of them today? What did their buildings look like?[ edit ] The Inca lived in stone houses varying in sizes. They were all built in the Andes on flat plateaus. Their temples, however, were built on circular mounds made by the Inca, sort of like a slanted cylinder. At the top there was a plateau. On this plateau the main buildings were built. A strange thing about the Inca was that they didn't use any iron tools to help them cut and shape the stone for their houses. Instead, they used round balls of stone to pound out blocks of stone for their buildings.

The blocks of stone were not usually rectangles, but were very strange looking shapes that fit together much like the pieces of a puzzle. Many of the stone walls the Inca built are still so strong and well made that it is impossible to slide the blade of a knife between the stones. What did they eat?[ edit ] Corn. Potatoes. The Inca ate potatoes and corn. They drank llama milk and water, and ate guinea-pigs for their daily protein, because they didn't have pigs, cows, sheep or turkeys. Occasionally, they ate llamas or alpaca. What did they wear?[ edit ] Typical Inca clothing would consist of a lightweight finely made poncho covered by a heavier, blanket-like poncho. They wore sandals and hats, some with fuzzy chinbands. Many rich Inca men wore large golden earrings as a symbol of how rich they were. What did they believe?[ edit ] The central god of the Inca religion was the sun-god Inti, the only god that had temples built for him. The sun-god was the father of the royal family. There were many gods among the Inca, but the sun-god outshone them all.

The Inca also believed that there was a heaven, a hell, and a resurrection of the body after death. The Inca worshiped the dead, their ancestors, their king whom they regarded as divine, and nature and it's cycles. What did their writing look like?[ edit ] Quipu. The Inca did not have a system of writing with letters or symbols. Instead, they used a special system called quipu (pronounced KEE-poo), tying knots in ropes of different colors. The ropes were kept on special belts that the quipu writers would always wear. The different colored ropes could show deaths, weddings, trade, and other things. Being a quipu writer took many years of schooling, and because very few learned, quipu readers were very important. Are some of them famous even today?[ edit ] Yma Sumac is a singer who performed Inca and South American folk songs beginning in the 1940s. She is claimed to be an Inca princess directly descended from Atahualpa. What is left of them today?[ edit ] Stone windows at Macchupichu. The Inca are famous for their abandoned cities in the Andes Mountains.

Some major cities like Cuzco and Machu Picchu, located in Peru, are major tourist attractions. Although many cities have been found, there are still many hidden in the jungles and under the desert floor. Archaeologists hope to one day know more about these people through their amazing artifacts. Inca - Culture and Civilization of South America The Inca - Culture and Civilization of South America The Inca were a South American people who controlled a large empire that stretched along the Pacific coast from Ecuador to northern Chile. The Inca dynasty was founded at about 1200 A.D. and lasted until the end of the 16th century, when the Spanish conquerors came to South America. The capital city of the Incan empire was Cuzco, which was located in the Andes Mountains in today’s Peru. What is left of the Inca civilization is scattered over the highlands of the Andes. The descendants of the Inca are mostly peasants who make up about half of Peru’s population. The Inca lived in the central part of the Andes Mountains Society and Culture There were two classes in Inca society: the ruling classes and the peasants. The emperor was called “The Inca” or “Sapa Inca”.

He ate from gold dishes and never wore the same clothes twice. Like the pharaohs of Egypt, he took his own sister as queen. The noblemen came from the capital Cuzco and helped the emperor govern the land. Most people were farmers who produced their own food and clothes. The main crops were corn, tomatoes, squash and sweet potatoes, which the Inca were first to produce. They also raised guinea pigs, ducks and dogs. One of the most important animals was the llama. It providedthe peasants with wool and it could carry heavy loads as well. The Inca spoke the Quechua language. They couldn’t write, but they used quipus, which were stringswith a system of knots attached to them. That’s how they recorded their harvest. The Inca were very skilful in making handicrafts. Women were excellent weavers .They wove cloth into tunics. Men were great metalworkers. They knew how to extract metal from ore by heating and melting it. Then the metals were moulded into different shapes to make weapons and other tools. The Inca also produced pottery and made musical instruments such as flutes. The Inca were great construction workers and architects.

They built a large network of roads throughout the empire, as well as tunnels and suspension bridges that crossed narrow mountain valleys. In Cuzco the Inca built massive walls made of huge stones. Some were more than 7 metres high and weighed many tons. Even today, centuries later, the stones fit together so well that you can’t even put a knife blade between them. The Inca worshipped gods of nature—the sun , the earth or thunder. They sacrificed humans and animals. People also worshipped their ancestors and kept mummies of some of them. The Inca created a calendar by looking at the movements of the sun and the moon . Harvest feasts were celebrated in May, planting rituals were held in August. Daily life When the Inca got up in the morning they didn’t have to get dressed, because they slept in their clothes. Women wore long gowns with a sash at the waist. Men wore loincloths and shirts without sleeves. Both men and women wore sandals. The average house had only one room made out of stone or brick. Normally it had a thatched roof. There were no beds or mattresses, so the whole family had to sleep on the floor. The Inca lived in small villages.

Even Cuzco, the capital, was not a very large city. History of the Incan Empire The history of the Inca is mainly known from stories that have been passed down and from records made after the Spanish conquered the empire. Starting in the 13th century, the Inca began conquering land and the empire became bigger and bigger. One hundred years later it was at the height of its power. In the 16th century the Incan empire became weaker when a fight broke out between two of the rulers sons. They both claimed the throne and wanted to succeed their father. When the Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro came he defeated the Inca and brought the empire under Spanish rule. Memories of the Incan empire still remain alive today. Although they were oppressed in the centuries that followed, today’s government is doing many things to improve the life of the Inca and to make their culture more popular. Quechua became an official language and a portrait of a famous Inca king is now on a Peruvian banknote. The Lost Inca City Explorers have found ruins of a lost city on a peak in the Andes Mountains of Peru.

They think the site belonged to the Inca who ruled the region more than 500 years ago. The ruins are on a mountain called Cerro Victoria in a very re mote region of Peru. This area was the place where the Inca retreated to when the Spanish conqueror Pizarro came in the 16th century. Local people have known Cerro Victoria for a long time, but they didn’t know what it was. A British photographer went there with a team of archaeologists in 2001. The team had to hike and climb for four days to reach the site from the nearest road. Some of the ruins are 4,500 m above sea level. When they got there they found storehouses, courtyards, roads, terraces and many other stone buildings. Archaeologists think that the Inca chose the place for two reasons. It was near important silver mines and it gave the people a great view of the mountains. The Inca may also have gone there to observe the sun and the moon from a perfect spot. The explorers hope to find out when the lost city was built and how long the Inca lived there.

ancestor = member of your family who lived a long time ago archaeologist = a person who studies old civilisations and looks at the buildings of that time attach = fix, connect conquer = to take control of a country by fighting construction worker = people who build houses, bridges etc...

courtyard = an open space that has buildings around it create = make crop = food plants that are grown by farmers defeat = to win over descendant = someone who is a relative of a person or a family who lived a long time ago dynasty = family of kings who have ruled for many years emperor = a man who rules a country like a king empire = many countries controlled by one ruler extract = to take out found =to start something for the first time govern = to rule government =the people who rule a country gown = a long dress handicraft =something that someone makes with their hands and then sells it harvest feast = meal that people had in a long time ago when they harvested their crops height = high point; climax knife blade =the sharp metal side of a knife knot =pieces of string and rope are twisted together load = weight loincloth = a piece of cloth that men wear to cover their sexual organs mattress = the soft part of a bed that you lie on melt = to make something very hot so that it becomes thin memory = things you remember about the past mine = a hole in the ground where people can dig for gold, silver or other rocks mould = to form movement = to change position from one place to another network = system noblemen =a man

 who is a member of the highest social class observe = watch oppress = to treat people very badly ore = rock that has metal in it peak = highest point of a mountain peasant = a poor farmer pottery = objects made of baked clay provide = give raise = to look after animals and use them as food record =to write down information about something remain = stay remote = very far away from where people live retreat = to move back ruin = a part of building that is left over rule =to have control oft he country and the people sacrifice = when you offer something to god in a religious act sash = a kind of belt scattered = spread over a big area sea level =the average height of the sea shape = form sleeve =part of a shirt or coat that covers your arm society = people in general squash = a vegetable that looks like a pumpkin storehouse = a building where many things are kept stretch = extend string =a strong piece of thread, that is twisted together succeed = to follow , to come after suspension bridge =a bridge that hangs from strong steel ropes fixed to towers terrace = flat places on a mountain thatched roof = roof made of dry grass or leaves throne = a special chair that a king or queen sits in throughout = in all parts tunic = a

 long piece of clothing that people wore long ago waist = the narrow part of your body weapon =something you use for fighting ,like a gun weaver = a person who makes cloth weigh = how heavy something is worship = pray to Who were the Incas?

Where did the Incas come from? – Discover Peru Submitted by Staff writer | The Inca Civilization The Inca Empire extended from Quito, Ecuador to south of Santiago, Chile. Click on map to enlarge. The Incas were a civilization in South America formed by ethnic Quechua people also known as Amerindians. In 1400AD they were a small highland tribe, one hundred years later in the early 16th century the Incas rose to conquer and control the largest empire ever seen in the Americas forming the great Inca Empire . Its capital was located in Cusco, Peru and extended from what today is Ecuador in the north, Chile in the South , Bolivia in the east and limited by the Pacific Ocean in the west. In less than a century the Incas conquered a vast territory through war and watchful diplomacy. The Inca Civilization was an agrarian civilization and at its height in 1500 AD reached more than 10 million people. It had a complex stratified vertical society governed by the Inca and his relatives . They shared a common polytheistic religion based on the worship of the Sun and the Sapa Inca as his son.

Their centrally planned economy, the collection of tribute , a draconian law system , food security and its fair distribution along with free health care and education were the basis of its economic and social success and in that sense securing the loyalty of its subjects. The government was highly organized even without the benefits of a writing system. The organization of the empire rivaled that of the Romans. The Inca civilization achieved highly developed art forms such as pottery , weaving techniques , metallurgy , music and architecture . A great example of their architectural achievement is Machu Picchu built by Inca Pachacuti around 1460AD. Their exquisite buildings were built without the use of modern tools and the wheel and they have withstood five centuries in an earthquake prone zone. For the Incas being “Inca” meant being a member of the group identified by that name. They considered themselves superior to the other tribes and being Inca was a source of pride; only descendants of the original tribe were true Inca or children of the Sun. All others were subjects of the Child of the Sun. The decline of the Incas started before the Spanish arrived in Inca territory. Their arrival accelerated its decline and eventually its fall.

The conquest of Peru officially started in 1532 when a group led by Francisco Pizarro arrived in the city of Cajamarca to meet Atahualpa. Where did the Incas come from? Between 3000 to 2500 BC ancestors of the Incas domesticated llamas and alpacas. The ancestors of the Incas were hunters who came from Asia crossing the Bering Strait. Over 20,000 years ago the Bering Strait connected Siberia and Alaska, it took several thousand years to populate and create civilizations in the Americas. Groups of people settled along the way creating communities. Others continued south and between 13,000 BC and 10,000 BC they reached the Pacific coast of South America and the Andes Mountains where they settled and found a new way of life. They learned how to cultivate plants such as corn and potatoes . Among the most important and first animals they domesticated were llamas and alpacas , this occurred between 3000 and 2500 BC. These animals were useful in many ways, they served as source of food, their wool was used for clothing and they were also used as pack animals.

Between 3800 and 3000 BC they learned to grow cotton. From around 8000 BC pre-Inca cultures started flourishing in the Andes and along the coast ; Caral and Kotosh are one of the first cultures known in this area. They were followed by Chavin, Paracas , Nazca, Moche , Tiawanaku, Wari and Chimu. Between 1150 and 1250BC the Incas, by then a small tribe, were searching for farmland which they found in the fertile mountain valleys of Cusco . They dominated and improved on their ancestors’ achievements creating the largest pre-Columbian civilization in the Americas, the Inca Civilization. The Incas explained their origin through legends, the best known are the legend of the Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo who emerged from Lake Titicaca and the Legend of the Ayar Brothers. Inca expansion Inca Pachacutec expanded the Inca Empire. He is also credited for the creation of Machu Pichu. From around 1200 to 1438 the Incas were a small tribe that gradually grew.

Starting around the year 1438 the Incas started expanding when Inca Pachacutec came to the throne, at this point the Inca civilization became an empire. Their successful expansion and conquest of new territory would not have been possible without the construction of roads and bridges . It is important to note that the Incas developed a highly advanced engineering and architectural technology even without the benefit of the wheel. When the Incas arrived in a new region they tried to establish a relationship with the tribe’s head. He offered gifts such as wool clothing, coca leaves and mullu (shell believed to be food for the Gods). If the gifts were accepted they also accepted the Inca’s authority. To consolidate this alliance they established family ties. If they did not accept the gifts they used force to subdue the tribe and since the Incas had a more powerful military force they always succeeded. The local leaders were executed to secure loyalty among the population. Read more about Inca expansion and its government.

Question: In which country did the Incas live
Answer: Peru